IMF Connect

Kristalina Georgieva
Managing Director, IMF

Kristalina Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She is the first person from an emerging market economy to lead the IMF since its inception in 1944. Before joining the Fund, Ms. Georgieva was Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank and also served as Interim President for a time. Previously, she served at the European Commission as Vice President for Budget and Human Resources – and as Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. She was named “European of the Year” and “Commissioner of the Year” by European Voice for her leadership in the European Union’s humanitarian response to crises.

Ajay Banga
President, World Bank Group

Ajay Banga is the President of the World Bank Group, beginning his five-year term on June 2, 2023. He stepped into the role with a clear mandate: to transform the 80-year-old institution into a faster, more efficient, and more impactful partner in development.

Since taking office, Ajay has led the adoption of a new vision and mission for the World Bank: to create a world free of poverty—on a livable planet. Under his leadership, the Bank has undertaken a broad set of reforms to boost lending capacity, simplify operations, and deliver development solutions that are practical, scalable, and impactful. He has prioritized a more agile institution—one that is easier to work with and focused on getting results.

At the core of Ajay’s agenda is a belief that job creation is the most powerful driver of development—offering not just income, but dignity and purpose. That conviction has helped shape new efforts to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, expand access to quality and affordable healthcare for 1.5 billion people, and develop a modern approach to agribusiness that can drive growth, improve food security, and create economic opportunity.

Ajay has also brought renewed focus to harnessing the power of the private sector. He has strengthened collaboration with development partners, philanthropies, and investors, and launched the Private Sector Investment Lab—bringing together leading CEOs and asset managers to tackle the barriers holding back private capital in emerging markets. His approach reflects a fundamental shift: development progress at scale cannot be achieved without the innovation, financing, and execution capabilities of the private sector.

Chia Der Jiun
Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)

Chia Der Jiun was appointed Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on 1 January 2024. He was previously Permanent Secretary (Development) at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Prior to his appointment at MOM in 2020, Der Jiun had spent 18 years at MAS in a range of functions covering monetary policy implementation, reserve management, macroeconomic surveillance, and banking supervision and regulation. At the MAS, he was last Deputy Managing Director (Corporate Development) with responsibilities for risk, finance, payment system and currency operations, HR and organization transformation. Der Jiun also served as Executive Director for Southeast Asia at the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2013. He holds a BA(Hons) in Politics and Economics from Oxford University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Umar Farooq
Co-Head of Global Payments, J.P. Morgan

Umar Farooq is the Co-Head of Global Payments at J.P. Morgan. A part of the Commercial & Investment Bank, J.P. Morgan Payments enables organizations of all sizes to execute transactions efficiently and securely, transforming the movement of information, money, and assets. The team of experts tackles complex challenges at every stage of the payment lifecycle. And their industry-leading solutions facilitate seamless transactions across borders, industries, and platforms.

Operating in over 160 countries and handling more than 120 currencies, J.P. Morgan Payments division is the largest processor of USD payments, with a daily transaction volume of $10 trillion.

Before stepping into his current role, Umar was the Global Head of Financial Institution Payments and CEO of Kinexys by J.P. Morgan (formerly Onyx), where he leveraged cutting-edge technologies like blockchain to create innovative products, platforms, and marketplaces. His previous roles include Global Head of Digital Wholesale Payments and Head of FinTech for the Corporate and Investment Bank, along with leadership positions in Chase Business Banking.

Umar's academic background includes a B.S. in Computer Science, a B.S. in Economics, and an M.Eng. in Computer Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a J.D. from Yale Law School.

Jeremy Allaire
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Circle

Jeremy Allaire is responsible for strategy, vision and operating execution at Circle. He brings more than two decades of experience building and leading global internet software platforms, including founder and CEO of Brightcove, technologist and entrepreneur in residence at General Catalyst, CTO of Macromedia, and co-founder and CTO of Allaire Corporation.